Take Two: Can Gators gather momentum after sluggish start?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
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Florida received some excellent news on Tuesday when four-star defensive tackle Jaelin Humphries from Lawrenceville (Ga.) Mountain View committed to the Gators, but overall this recruiting class has been off to a slow start.
The Gators are No. 10 in the SEC team rankings, with only Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri and Vanderbilt lower in the conference. Nationally, Florida is a respectable No. 24, but this first recruiting class for new coach Dan Mullen is hardly off to a hot start.
The only other four-star so far in Florida’s class is Roswell, Ga., linebacker Tyron Hopper, who committed to the Gators in late April.
Things could definitely change though - especially if Florida could land the two big fish that were on campus this past weekend. Five-star cornerbacks Derek Stingley, Jr., and Chris Steele both visited Gainesville and both players had a phenomenal time.
Playing together is not a must for either Stingley or Steele, but the draw of being in the same secondary is certainly a serious consideration.
Can Mullen and his staff pull the five-star cornerbacks? If not, can the Gators continue to climb up the SEC recruiting rankings as the season approaches?
FIRST TAKE: COREY BENDER, GATORSTERRITORY.COM
“Florida is having somewhat of a slow start to its 2019 recruiting haul, but the Gators are starting to move the needle with some priority prospects as well, including five-star cornerback Chris Steele. Both him and fellow five-star, Derek Stingley, Jr., were in town this past weekend to officially visit and were told they could make an early splash if they put their head down and go to work. Steele lives across the country in California, but he has stated that distance will not play into his July decision. He says even if he attended USC, he wouldn't actually be at his home and would be busy with the demands that come along with being a college student-athlete.
"For Stingley, the Gators were sitting in a great spot heading into the visit weekend, and he says they're even in better standing with the trip all wrapped up and in the books.
“With each prospect, the staff has really been providing a home-like feel and hitting on things much more important than football. Stingley's father spoke with reporters on Sunday and says this weekend's visit was more about developing his son into a man and being in a place where he's going to be taken care of.
"Hometown LSU has garnered a lot of attention in his recruitment and will be hosting Stingley on a visit in the 'near future.' The staff made a strong impression on both, but Steele is more realistic at this point. The Gators are sitting in a great spot with him.
"Some additional cornerbacks to keep close tabs on are Kaiir Elam and Chester Kimbrough. Elam is a Florida legacy who's had the Gators near the very top of his list from the get-go, while Kimbrough labeled Florida his leader following the Orange and Blue Game. The Gators have a lot of premium options at the cornerback position, and are sitting in good standing with several.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“They have a chance with Steele and Stingley because they have a great recent defensive back tradition, but a lot of people feel Stingley will stay home and a lot of people feel Steele will stay home. Even if they whiff on those two guys, they’re still involved with a lot of good players.
“What concerns me is the fact they only have nine commitments so far and their average star ranking is well below what I think it should be. So the question is with two four-stars in the class is Dan Mullen recruiting Mississippi State-style and is he still adjusting to the fact that Florida should have five or six of these commits as four-stars or better? Or is he just doing what he did at Mississippi State, evaluating, finding guys who are fits and he doesn’t care about their ranking?”